Download EASY HELP

EASYfor
HELP
for
CICS
Create 'HELP' screens without programming
Create 'HELP' screens without progamming
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EASY HELP for CICS gives users the ability to
request help on individual fields on the screens
they use. It also allows users to maintain the help
text themselves, without involving data processing
personnel.
How EASY HELP for CICS saves
time and money
Reduce data entry errors - entry personnel are more likely
to check a help screen than to look in a manual.
Improve data entry productivity - checking a help screen
is faster than looking in a manual or interrupting another employee.
Programmers don't waste time programming for help
screens in their applications.
Users see a common HELP facility for all systems less training is required.
Changed procedures are done quickly by updating a
help screen instead of printing changes for every user's manual
(and hoping they all file the new pages).
All EASY HELP for CICS management is done online.
Works with no application program changes.
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MacKinney Systems EASY HELP
for
CICS
How do you
request HELP?
Position the cursor on a
specific field
Press a predetermined ‘PA’
or ‘PF’ key
A Pop-Up window of help text
is displayed with the ability to
page forward or backward.
The window canbe expanded to
a full screen of help text. Up to
99 pages of help text is allowed
for each field.
CUST 15468
Ship-to
Kathy
Jones
ACME Wholesale, Inc.
2756 Washington St.
Suite 534
Springfield
MO 65810
Phone 417 111 2233
ext 456
Oper. Syst. VSE/ESA
Date 940622
CICS 2.1
Mail?
Place your cursor anywhere on
the defined field and press your
Easy Help PF or PA key.
Easy Help will display the help
text for the requested field in a
pop-up window so that the field
in question and most of the rest
of your screen is still visible.
Initially one third of the help text
is displayed. If you want the full
screen of help text, you can press
the Expand PF key (PF10 in this
case). You can also page up and
down in the window to read
more of the text.
Create 'HELP' screens without progamming
CUST 15468
Kathy
ACME Wholesa
2756 Washing
Suite 534
Springfield
(MACK001 )
Mail?
Page 1a
X
= Do not send mail
B
= Bad address - waiting for correction
blank = OK to send mail
Enter X, B, or space (default)
CLR-Exit
More...
PF3-Menu
Phone 417 111Expand
Oper. Syst. VSE/ESA
PF4-Prev
PF7-Bwd PF6-Overvu
PF5-Next
PF8-Fwd PF9-Upd
PF10-
CICS 2.1
Date 940622 Mail?
3
How do we control
who can update the
HELPscreens?
Give different users various
levels of access from full update
to display-onlycapability
A ‘+’ can be used to match
any character. An authorization
level can be assigned to limit
access to EASY HELP functions.
‘0’ gives the lowest level access
(display help only) and ‘5’
the highest level.
Every user who is authorized
to use EASY HELP must be
defined in the user table. Users
can be identified by Userid,
Opid, or Termid. This is made
easy with generic representation.
In the example below, every
user, ‘++++++++’, has been
given access to display help
information (authorization level =
0) regardless of the terminal they
are using (Termid =‘++++’).
MacKinney Systems
Userid
________
Termid
____
AFG+++++ ++++
BCH1
T09A
DFB+++++ ++++
++++++++ ++++
V2.0 Easy Help for CICS
Auth. File
Level Suffix
_
_
1
5
1
0
Users with the first three
characters ‘AFG’ and ‘DFB’ have
been given a higher authorization,
‘1’. They will also be able to
update help information.
User ‘BCH1’ has been given
the highest level of authorization.
This user can use any of the
EASY HELP functions, but only
on terminal ‘T09A’.
All entries are listed in alphabetic
order. PF7 and PF8 scroll backward and forward.
User Authorization List
Page 1
Notes:
1. Any user not in the list is unauthorized
by default.
2. Userid and Termid may contain one or more
plus signs (+) which mean match any
character in this position.
.......
3. Auth. Levels: 0 - 5.
4. File suffix is optional.
5. To delete an existing entry, specify the
Userid and Termid to be deleted with "X"
in the auth. level.
PF3-Menu PF7-Bwd PF8-Fwd
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MacKinney Systems EASY HELP
for
CICS
Exclude transactions
from help requests
Assign different help
keys by transaction
If no entries are made in the list,
then all CICS transactions are
included for help requests and
the help key will always be the
default help key that you specify
on your ‘System Configuration’
screen.
MacKinney Systems
All transactions with the
first two characters ‘AC’
are excluded from help
except AC01 and AC02.
Transaction SEC1 and
SEC2 have been excluded
from the help system.
Tranid
____
Include
(Y/N)
_
AC01
AC02
AC++
Y
Y
N
SEC1
SEC2
N
N
V2.0 Easy Help for CICS Tranid Include/Exclude List
Page 1
Help key
____
PF10
PF10
Notes:
1. Any Tranid not in the list is
"Included" by default.
2. Tranid may contain one or more plus
signs (+) which mean match any
character in this position.
3.
Possible
help
keys:PF1-PF24, PA1-PA3.
4. If "Include" is specified as "N", the
help key is ignored.
Transactions AC01 and
AC02 will use help key
PF10 instead of the
default help key.
All entries are listed in
alphabetic order. PF7 and
PF8 scroll backward and
forward.
Transaction codes can be specific
transaction ids or generic names.
Generic names are made by
entering ‘+’ for one or more of the
characters in the transaction-ids.
The ‘+’ will match any character
in that position.
5. To delete an existing entry, specify
the Tranid to be deleted with "XXXX"
in the help key.
PF3-Menu
Create 'HELP' screens without progamming
PF7 Bwd
PF8-Fwd
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How are HELP screens
created?
Press the HELP key.
If no HELP screen exists, . . .
you will be asked to create one.
You identify the screen with
some fixed unique data (5 to 80
characters such as a heading or
MACK002 in this example)
marking the data by positioning
the cursor on it and pressing PF1.
MACK002
CUST 15468 Ship-to
Kathy
ACME Wholesale, Inc.
2756 Washington St.
Suite 534
Springfield
MO 65810
Pho
Ope
Dat
You enter the general help
overview for the screen.
Create help
information for fields
You identify the field by
positioning the cursor on your
screen at the beginningand end
of the field to be described and
pressing PF1 each time.
You then enter the help
information for the field.
Each time the user presses the
help key while the cursor is
located within the bounds
of the field you have defined,
the help screen for that field
is displayed.
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Jones
First, identify the screen by some fixed information
such as a heading, title, etc., that is unique only
to this screen.
The identifier is 5 - 80 consecutive
characters anywhere on the screen.
Place cursor at BEGINNING of indentifier. Press
Press
Press
PF1
PF5 to MOVE this window.
PF3 to CANCEL this setup and display the menu.
MACK002
CUS
Kat
ACM
275
Sui
Spr
First, identify the left and right boundaries of the
field.
Include the field itself and a field name, if
any, immediately to its left or right, such as:
INVOICE AMOUNT:
120.50
<----------------------->
Place cursor at LEFT boundary of field.
Press PF1
Press
Press
PF5 to MOVE this window.
PF3 to CANCEL this setup and display the menu.
Phone 417 111 2233 ext 456
Oper. Syst. VSE/ESA
CICS 2.1
Date 940622 Mail? ___
We could mark 'M' as the
beginning of the field and
the last position as the end.
MacKinney Systems EASY HELP
for
CICS
How does it work?
EASY HELP uses a CICS
terminal control exit program
named HELPXZCP.
The exit program looks at the
function key pressed. If it was
the HELP key, the identifier for
the transaction to be started is
changed to invoke the HELP
system instead. The user's
application screen is saved along
with all other data necessary to
restore the user's application
screen upon exiting the HELP
system. EASY HELP identifies
the proper help text by the
screen contents, then individual
fields are identified by location.
EASY HELP handles BMS
maps, native 3270 data streams,
and can even be used from a clear
screen to provide a generalized
on line documentation facility.
Simply enter a subject on a clear
screen and press the Help Key.
EASY HELP will then lead you
through setting up help text
for that subject. The next time
you enter the subject and press
the Help Key, the help text
is displayed.
Two batch programs
provided
1. Report generator prints the
following information:
-Full or partial screen directory
-Field directories (by screen)
-Application screen images
-Help text
2. A Utility for initializing,
backing up and restoring
the HELP files is included.
Multiple help files
allowed
Different groups of users may
each use their own set of help
files, if desired, for security
purposes or to optimize the
speed of the help system.
Easy installation
EASY HELP for CICS can be
installed in less than two hours
and users can be taught to use it
in minutes. Users can be allowed
to enter the help text for their own
screens. Supports CICS 2.3
through Transaction Server 1.3.
Conversion service
is available
If you are using a competitor's
HELP system for CICS and
would like to save money by
moving to EASY HELP for
CICS, we may be able to help
convert your existing HELP data.
Please contact MacKinney
Systems for a custom quote to
migrate your help data to Easy
Help for CICS.
Conversational
transactions ARE
NOT supported
HELP cannot be requested for
screens of a conversational task,
only pseudo-conversational tasks.
Most installations and most
software packages use pseudoconversational techniques since
they provide for the most efficient
usage of CICS resources.
Therefore, in most cases, this
will not be a problem. If the
HELP key is pressed while on
a conversational screen, the
application program will receive
the PF key instead of the HELP
program.
Create 'HELP' screens without progamming
Free 30 day trial
available
(417) 882 8012 or
download from
www.mackinney.com
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